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DID you know that 46 per cent of adult Australians have functional illiteracy?

That means they cannot confidently read newspapers, follow a recipe, make sense of timetables, or understand the instructions on a medicine bottle.

That's 46%, nearly half. Not 4.6% Scary, hey?

It's this frightening 2006 statistic from the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) that prompted the National Year of Reading which is now drawing to a close.

I've been thinking about this stat since Nick Earls blogged about it back in September, also commenting about his role as Year of Reading Ambassador - if this kind of role is to draw attention to this alarming fact, then Nick has done his job.

Which is why I am now blogging about it.

Without being literate choices and opportunities shrink. There are the "heavy" issues of social mobility, income, education but also the lighter ones of enjoyment, entertainment and fun.

If you don't enjoy reading you can't pass on a love of reading to your children. And so the illiteracy problem grows and multiplies over time.

Solution = The Year of Reading which has three goals:

For all Australians to understand the benefits of reading as a life skill and a catalyst for wellbeing.

To promote a reading culture in every home.

To establish an aspirational goal for families, of parents and caregivers sharing books with their children every day.

Tough. But not unachievable.

If you have a child in your life and you're not reading to them daily, then you're simply not doing your bit to improve their future lives.

It's the only thing that can tip your child into the 54% who don't have functional illiteracy.

It's not the teacher's role to read to your children, it's yours.

After all, literacy has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with parental hard work and dedication.